Reincarnated As A Dragon With A Godly Inheritance
Chapter 44: Betrayal?

Chapter 44: Betrayal?

Her laughter echoed through the corridor, eerie and sharp. Taria shivered. She didn’t know what was happening, but she knew one thing for certain now, she didn’t like it at all and she wanted to get out of the situation.

She wanted to rush to the portal, but Kaedros’s hand landed firmly on her shoulder, holding her back. The naked blade in Vexa’s hand served as another warning as its light shone silent, gleaming, deadly.

"Yes! Stop! That’s a command from your Lord!" Rauk was shouting, his eye wide as if he couldn’t clearly process what was happening.

The laughter cut off as suddenly as it had begun. Vexa’s voice followed, flat and absolute.

"But you are not my Lord."

Rauk reeled back as if struck, staring at her with wide, pale eyes. His lips trembled. "But..."

"You are not my Lord, you little fool," Vexa said, cutting him off. Then louder, for everyone to hear, she repeated, "You. Are not. My. Lord."

She exhaled in what sounded like relief. "You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to say that."

Kaedros watched Rauk’s face crumple like paper left out in the rain. The young noble opened and closed his mouth, his reality unraveling in front of him.

Poor kid, Kaedros thought.

In his mind, he began digging through his memory for a high-tier fire spell that he could use.

It would take time to form, but he needed to prepare.

That was the burden, unless they were absurdly high-rank, they couldn’t summon powerful spells instantly. Which was why mages and their counterparts always needed warriors.

"No... not you too," Rauk whispered.

"As much as I enjoy a good betrayal monologue," Kest cut in, "can we postpone it? I’m trying to open this damned door."

Vexa turned on him instantly. Her sword flashed upward, then slashed down in a swinging motion.

The air screamed and trembled.

A nearly invisible arc of energy tore from her blade, and Kest’s head erupted backward in a spray of blood and brain.

Taria gasped.

Thandor flinched.

Jonna jumped back, instantly raising a shield.

Kaedros lifted a brow. Now it’s getting interesting.

"How dare you!" Vexa snarled at Kest’s body. "I’ve waited for this moment forever! I imagined it a thousand times, the look on his face when he learned he was truly alone, and you wanted to ruin that?"

Aura exploded from her body in waves of vivid silver light. Her peak rank two presence filled the corridor, pressing down on everyone like a stormcloud made flesh.

She turned back to Rauk, searching his face for pain.

But Rauk’s expression was calm now. Hard. A smooth mask of metal.

"I didn’t think you would betray me too, Vexa," he said. His voice was like ice.

Vexa flinched slightly before her lips curled. "That idiot ruined the moment. Gave you time to compose yourself. Harden your face. No matter. You’ll cry when my sword touches your spine."

"But first..." She turned, and with another slash of her sword, Jonna’s head rolled away. His shield had done nothing.

"There. The other pest is gone."

"Why did you betray me?" Rauk asked, carefully avoiding the bodies. "When?"

"I was never yours, Rauk Lythienne. I was his. You were just a mission. An amusing one, I’ll admit. All your grand talk about changing the kingdom... but my orders were clear, kill you when you overstep your place."

"And coming to this forbidden zone was your biggest mistake. You wanted to advance," she pointed her sword at Kael and Taria, "and build followers. You should’ve stayed a rank one forever."

"So that’s why you tried to stop me from coming here," Rauk muttered, his voice distant.

Vexa nodded slowly. "You crossed the line the moment you decided to challenge them. To challenge him."

"The moment I told you," Rauk corrected.

Vexa smiled faintly. "Yes. And I did my part perfectly. You trusted me."

"I did." Rauk gave a small nod. "So, are you going to kill me now?"

Vexa looked at Thandor, then back to Rauk. "Wouldn’t it be better to die by my hand than by the executioners of the Celestial Order?" She raised her sword. "Or do you disagree, Refiner?"

Thandor cleared his throat. "Of course not. But... if I may... could you give me just the two, Kael and Taria?"

Kaedros stiffened. Taria’s eyes went wide with horror.

So it was true. The Celestial Order and the bounty hunter’s Association wanted them dead. Nothing more. Nothing less.

"What?" Vexa spat. She lowered her sword and glared at Thandor. "I’m taking them to the capital. They’ll serve their new master, whether they like it or not."

Something stirred inside Kaedros. Cold. Ancient. Coiled.

It was his pride, his blood, his birthright as a Dragon Prince. The memory of being a hunted thing. He abandoned the fire spell he was weaving and began building a defensive one instead.

Thandor’s eyes hardened. "The Celestial Order has passed judgment. They saw what they shouldn’t have seen."

"And that’s my problem how?" Vexa snapped. "I said I’m taking them. If you want them, you’ll have to fight me."

With that, she raised her sword again.

Thandor hesitated. Calculating. He couldn’t beat her head-on, not in raw power.

But he didn’t need to.

He just needed time, just enough to kill Kael and Taria.

Vines slithered out from inside his robe, crawling up his limbs, covering his body in a living armor of thorns.

"So you really want to fight?" Vexa asked in a deadly voice, her tone like razor.

"I don’t know you to be foolish, Thandor. I thought you are like the other Refiners that like to calculate before doing things."

Thandor grimaced as if conceding the point..but still, he raised his hand. Orders are orders and it wouldn’t be smart to ignore the one that sent him.

So, he raised his hand.

And thorn, dozens of them in every shade, launched from his outstretched fingers like arrows, aimed directly at her heart.